For The Want of Justice
By: SchizoAuthoress
Wufei glared at the girl across the tiny room, his wife by an arranged marriage. If looks could kill, they'd both be dead. She sighed and tried once more to convince him.
"I can't believe you'll just sit here while our home is being taken over! This isn't justice!"
"Justice?" He asked, "Tell me, Meiran, what is justice?"
Her dark eyes blazed at this quiet question, the question he always asked her, the one question she couldn't answer. Not that she wouldn't try.
"The United Earth Alliance sends us into space, lets us develop into functioning civilizations. And then, when it seems like we might be growing more powerful than them, they try to take us over! That's not justice!"
"I know what *isn't* justice, woman. What I don't know is what *is* this justice you speak of."
Meiran was starting to lose her patience. "How can you be part of the Dragon Clan if you won't defend your own home?"
"When the colonies fight the Alliance, the Alliance is always the greater power. I see no reason to go fight for a cause I don't believe in, running the risk of being killed."
Wufei turned and went back to his reading. Meiran made a small, irritated noise in her throat and stormed away. Just because Wufei was a scholar, he thought he knew it all.
-Why didn't my parents arrange for me to marry a warrior?-
****
"They killed them all!" Meiran screamed passionately, "The Alliance soldiers killed all of our warriors that went to do battle! If you were there, you would have made a difference!"
"If I was there," Wufei said calmly, "I would have died too. How much difference can one person make?"
"A hell of a lot more if they *do* something, rather than just let it happen!"
Wufei shook his head. There was no convincing this girl. She really thought that the colony could defeat the Earth Alliance if they just would fight them immediately.
"Now many of us have died, all for your foolish ideal. You forced them to take action now, didn't you?"
Meiran refused to answer, but her black eyes were full of shame. Wufei continued, "And if we had waited, we could have found their weakness and really beaten them. But no." Now Wufei's voice took on a patronizing tone, "The great 'Nataku' has caused an injustice!"
"I won't let you mock me!" Meiran shrieked, rage and hurt pushing away all common sense. "Fight me now, coward!"
"Do not call me a coward."
"I should call you what you are!"
"I don't fight women, Meiran. You know that."
With a frustrated scream, Mieran launched herself at Wufei. He side-stepped her blow and wrapped an arm around her waist to slow her fall. She twisted around and bared her teeth at him.
Unfazed, Wufei deposited his kicking and shreiking wife on the futon and walked out of the room.
****
She was dying. He held her bleeding body close, refusing to loose the tears that burned behind his eyes. To show Meiran any weakness; that was the one thing he would never do.
"I was...strong...wasn't I?"
A gentle smile touched his face as he replied, "Yes, Meiran. You were the strongest fighter out there."
She smiled back, sadness and a soft regret held in her clouding dark eyes. Quietly, she shut her eyes.
"You are Nataku. I know that now."
"No..." she murmured, "You are so much stronger than I am. It is you...who is the true...Nataku."
Worry tinged his ebony eyes as he shook her slightly. "Nataku...open your eyes. Please, Nataku."
"I can see it," she whispered, "I can see the end. It's...beautiful...."
"Nataku, don't die. I haven't become worthy to be your husband! Nataku!"
"If only...you could see it...Wufei, it all looks different...it's all clear now..." And then, with her last breath, she whispered,
"Justice is your cause."
END
By: SchizoAuthoress
Wufei glared at the girl across the tiny room, his wife by an arranged marriage. If looks could kill, they'd both be dead. She sighed and tried once more to convince him.
"I can't believe you'll just sit here while our home is being taken over! This isn't justice!"
"Justice?" He asked, "Tell me, Meiran, what is justice?"
Her dark eyes blazed at this quiet question, the question he always asked her, the one question she couldn't answer. Not that she wouldn't try.
"The United Earth Alliance sends us into space, lets us develop into functioning civilizations. And then, when it seems like we might be growing more powerful than them, they try to take us over! That's not justice!"
"I know what *isn't* justice, woman. What I don't know is what *is* this justice you speak of."
Meiran was starting to lose her patience. "How can you be part of the Dragon Clan if you won't defend your own home?"
"When the colonies fight the Alliance, the Alliance is always the greater power. I see no reason to go fight for a cause I don't believe in, running the risk of being killed."
Wufei turned and went back to his reading. Meiran made a small, irritated noise in her throat and stormed away. Just because Wufei was a scholar, he thought he knew it all.
-Why didn't my parents arrange for me to marry a warrior?-
****
"They killed them all!" Meiran screamed passionately, "The Alliance soldiers killed all of our warriors that went to do battle! If you were there, you would have made a difference!"
"If I was there," Wufei said calmly, "I would have died too. How much difference can one person make?"
"A hell of a lot more if they *do* something, rather than just let it happen!"
Wufei shook his head. There was no convincing this girl. She really thought that the colony could defeat the Earth Alliance if they just would fight them immediately.
"Now many of us have died, all for your foolish ideal. You forced them to take action now, didn't you?"
Meiran refused to answer, but her black eyes were full of shame. Wufei continued, "And if we had waited, we could have found their weakness and really beaten them. But no." Now Wufei's voice took on a patronizing tone, "The great 'Nataku' has caused an injustice!"
"I won't let you mock me!" Meiran shrieked, rage and hurt pushing away all common sense. "Fight me now, coward!"
"Do not call me a coward."
"I should call you what you are!"
"I don't fight women, Meiran. You know that."
With a frustrated scream, Mieran launched herself at Wufei. He side-stepped her blow and wrapped an arm around her waist to slow her fall. She twisted around and bared her teeth at him.
Unfazed, Wufei deposited his kicking and shreiking wife on the futon and walked out of the room.
****
She was dying. He held her bleeding body close, refusing to loose the tears that burned behind his eyes. To show Meiran any weakness; that was the one thing he would never do.
"I was...strong...wasn't I?"
A gentle smile touched his face as he replied, "Yes, Meiran. You were the strongest fighter out there."
She smiled back, sadness and a soft regret held in her clouding dark eyes. Quietly, she shut her eyes.
"You are Nataku. I know that now."
"No..." she murmured, "You are so much stronger than I am. It is you...who is the true...Nataku."
Worry tinged his ebony eyes as he shook her slightly. "Nataku...open your eyes. Please, Nataku."
"I can see it," she whispered, "I can see the end. It's...beautiful...."
"Nataku, don't die. I haven't become worthy to be your husband! Nataku!"
"If only...you could see it...Wufei, it all looks different...it's all clear now..." And then, with her last breath, she whispered,
"Justice is your cause."
END